Jan. 30, 2013
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Washington men's golf trio of Chris Williams, Cheng-Tsung Pan and Trevor Simsby were among 27 collegiate golfers named on Wednesday to the 2013 Ben Hogan Award Watch list. The most prestigious award in men's college golf, The Ben Hogan Award is presented annually to the top men's NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during the past 12-month period. The Ben Hogan Award Selection Committee represents leaders in amateur and collegiate golf and is sponsored by Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, in conjunction with Colonial Country Club, The Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America. The UW trio joins the Cal threesome of Brandon Hagy, Michael Kim and Michael Weaver to make up six of the nine Pac-12 golfers on golfers on the list. The only other school to previously boast three players on the watch list was Oklahoma State in 2011. Williams and Pan were among 10 semifinalist for the 2012 Hogan Award. This is the first time Simsby has been named to the watch list. Williams has spent 25-straight weeks perched atop the World Amateur Golf Rankings, while Pan is on his heels in sixth and Simsby checks in at No. 51. The last 12 months have been a whirlwind for Williams. He has won the Mark H. McCormack Award, won the 2012 Western Amateur Championship, finished 7th at the U.S. Amateur and advanced to the quarterfinals of match play. The senior from Moscow, Idaho has represented his country twice -- at the Palmer Cup and he helped Team USA win the World Amateur Championship. He battled mono during the fall college season, yet still managed a pair of second-place finishes in the Kikkor Golf Husky Invitational and PING/Golfweek Preview. He is 45th in the current Golfweek individual rankings. In those same Golfweek men's collegiate individual rankings, Pan is No. 1 after going 271-4-10 in head-to-head action during the fall season and finishing no worse than third in four collegiate events. He won the Kikkor Golf Husky Invitational, was second in both the Ping/Golfweek Preview and US Collegiate Championship and third in the Pac-12 Preview. Pan also had a stellar 12-month run on the amateur circuit. He was second in the Asian Amateur Championship in November and second in the U.S. Am back in August before losing in the quarterfinals of match play. He also had a top-5 stroke play finish in the U.S. Amateur Publinx before falling in the Round of 32 during match play. Simsby is seventh on Golfweek's collegiate individual rankings. He had three top-five finishes in four fall events, including his first ever collegiate win: the Pac-12 Preview, which featured 7 other competitors on the Hogan Watch List. The 2013 The Ben Hogan Award Watch List includes, in alphabetical order: Daniel Berger (Florida State, So.), Julien Brun (TCU, So.), Albin Choi (NC State, Jr.), Corey Conners (Kent State, Jr.), Scott Fernandez (Iowa State, So.), Steven Fox (Chattanooga, Sr.), Ben Geyer (St. Mary's, Sr.), Talor Gooch (Oklahoma State, Jr.), Brandon Hagy (California, Jr.), Max Homa (California, Sr.), Michael Kim (California, So.), Jace Long (Missouri, Sr.), Tyler McCumber (Florida, Sr.), Cheng-Tsung Pan (Washington, So.), Kevin Penner (UNLV, Sr.), Thomas Pieters (Illinois, Jr.), Patrick Rodgers (Stanford, So.), Trevor Simsby (Washington, Jr.), Brandon Stone (Texas, Fr.), Julian Suri (Duke, Sr.), Ben Taylor (Nova Southeastern, Jr.), Justin Thomas (Alabama, So.), T.J. Vogel (Florida, Sr.), Michael Weaver (California, Jr.), Pontus Widegren (UCLA, Sr.), Chris Williams (Washington, Sr.) and Bobby Wyatt (Alabama, Jr.). On April 18, the list of 27 will be trimmed to 10 semifinalists. The three finalists will be announced on May 8. The trio of finalists will attend a black-tie banquet at Colonial Country Club on Monday, May 20, where the winner will be crowned. |
